Who doesn’t love a good obstacle course? Obstacles courses have been around for years, they are nothing new, but always exciting. The cool thing about them is that anything can be used to make one, but all good courses involve climbing, running, jumping and maybe even some crawling. Obstacle courses are so cool that American Ninja Warrior shows adults trying their hand at some absolutely amazing courses. The elements require skill and practice to succeed. If you haven’t check out American Ninja Warrior, you should!
Here at PNA, obstacle courses have always been a hit during gym class. I’m always amazed at how long these students can run around a course without taking any breaks. As much fun as these courses are, they also have so many benefits physically and mentally. They work on basic gross and locomotor movement, speed, balance, climbing, endurance, strength, confidence and risk assessment. Taking risks in environment that is safe is highly important for these young kids. They are often told to “be careful” and “watch out,” so they don’t know where their physical limits lie. Encouraging them to leap further than they have ever leaped before or to jump off a platform that makes them nervous teaches them their boundaries and how to assess whether it is safe or not. For all those Middle School parents out there wondering if their child loves obstacle courses, the answer is yes. They begged me to keep up the course so they could run “the gauntlet.” and I overheard them saying it was their favorite class so far this year.
The cool thing about Anchorage in the winter is that there are quite a few places around town (or even in your own home) to either set up a course or to enroll your kid in a class that teaches the same skills. There are gymnastics gyms, Parkour gyms, Crossfit gyms that have kids classes (and focus on obstacle courses) and my favorite, Get Air Trampoline Park. There are also things you can purchase or make for your home that can make a mean course. I’m here for suggestions if you ever need help building a course at home or in your backyard!
-Ms. Molly